When you’ve been flying for 84 years, it’s not just about getting people from one place to another anymore. It becomes a matter of memory. Of taste. Of home.
This year, Philippine Airlines (PAL) marks its 84th anniversary not just with banners or commemorative insignias, but with a gesture that speaks more to the senses — desserts. But not just any desserts. For a limited time, until May 31, select international passengers will be treated to confections that celebrate Filipino culinary heritage in bite-sized servings.
It’s easy to dismiss airline food as utilitarian, but PAL takes a different route, framing its dessert selection as a cultural showcase. And in this case, a sweet one.
Dubbed the Trio Bite-Sized Dessert Plate, the set includes a playful reimagining of the leche flan, a dessert that has graced generations of Filipino dining tables. This time, it’s topped with a slow-simmered cantaloupe syrup and white chocolate — unexpected companions to the usual custard comfort. Buried beneath is a bed of crushed mango, adding even more tropical familiarity.
Alongside the flan is a Southern Chocolate Ganache Cake, its richness drawn from premium Davao cacao and a Pacencia cookie sandwich — the kind your lola might keep in a recycled tin, now elevated with mango butter cream in between.
Business class passengers flying to North American destinations can experience this dessert trio, or opt for a classic halo-halo, served with a cheese platter or a scoop of ice cream. For flights to Honolulu and Australia, the Southern Chocolate Ganache Cake is featured solo — a dense, fudgy representation of southern Philippine craftsmanship.
Desserts, in this case, are not the afterthought. They are the punctuation mark to a long and storied journey. The airline’s theme, “Care that comes from the heart,” finds form in these small indulgences. PAL has chosen to mark its anniversary by reinforcing a simple but powerful idea: that Filipino hospitality can travel, and yes, it can be served on a plate.
After all, memory is a flight we all take again and again. And sometimes, the best way to bring it back is through a taste of something familiar.